Does your child have trouble focussing, processing information, reading, or understanding their school work? Do you have a funny feeling that something’s not quite right? Parents are often the first to notice that something’s off kilter. If you are aware of the common signs of a learning disability, you’ll be able to recognize potential problems early and take action.

Of course, kids grow and learn differently and what you think may be a learning disability may simply be that they just aren’t quite there yet.

Here are a few red flags or indicators that your child may have a learning disability. It’s important to note that a learning disability is not a sign of low intelligence, in fact it can be the opposite. It just means your child learns differently.

Seven indicators of a possible learning disability

Intellectual processing

Your child appears to possess average or above average intelligence based on standardized intelligence tests, but does not perform at expected achievement levels when exposed to conventional teaching strategies.

Academic struggles

Scores indicate inconsistency and great variability between expectancy and performance. This is especially important for students since they are in an academic setting. In the case of these students, having gotten a low grade in a class may have been due to other factors.

Behavioural issues

Impetuous behaviour, inappropriate responses in school or social situations, difficulty staying on task (easily distracted), difficulty finding the right way to say something, immature way of speaking, difficulty listening and problems dealing with new things in life are all indicators of learning challenges.

Short attention span

Younger kids often have short attention spans. But when school-age children are easily distracted or unable to concentrate for long periods of time, a learning disability might be to blame.

Physical delays

Difficulty with fine and gross motor skills can affect learning. Signs include poor coordination, a lack of awareness of physical surroundings and being accident-prone.

Inability to follow and understand class discussion

Your child daydreams in class, appears to be off in la la land when the teacher speaks, and may not be able to follow what’s going on.

Difficulty with the concept of time

Your child fails to understand the requirements of completing assignments within a certain time frame and appears disorganized.

What next?

If you feel your child has a learning disability, getting a professional diagnosis is the first step. You might also want to consider meeting with a school like Eaton Arrowsmith, which helps students address the cognitive weaknesses that cause their learning disabilities. For more information, email [email protected], visit their website or tour one of their schools.

At Eaton Arrowsmith we teach our students a series of exercises to help them strengthen their brains and address the cognitive weaknesses that cause their specific learning difficulties. We operate on the principle of neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to be strengthened over time with targeted training. This sets us apart from other learning intervention programs. www.eatonarrowsmith.com

Community and Content Manager and at Crisp Media. She's a Vancouver mom to a cute (but wild) little boy who loves to run, jump, play and eat. They can be found in cafes, ice cream shops, and funky new restaurants around Vancouver ... when they aren't at the beach, in the woods or at the ball diamond!